Sarah Fischer (weightlifter)
Sarah Fischer is an Austrian weightlifter. She is a three-time medalist at the European Weightlifting Championships. She also represented Austria at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. Her brother is weightlifter David Fischer.
Career
At the 2017 Youth World Weightlifting Championships held in Bangkok, Thailand, Fischer won the silver medal in the women's +75 kg event. In that same year, at the 2017 European Junior & U23 Weightlifting Championships held in Durrës, Albania, she won the silver medal in the women's junior 90 kg event.In 2018, Fischer won the bronze medal in the women's 90 kg event at the Junior World Weightlifting Championships held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
In 2019, at the European Weightlifting Championships held in Batumi, Georgia, Fischer won the bronze medal in the women's 87kg event. In that same year, she also won the silver medal in the women's junior 87kg event at the 2019 European Junior & U23 Weightlifting Championships in Bucharest, Romania.
In 2020, she won the bronze medal in the women's 87kg event at the Roma 2020 World Cup in Rome, Italy. In 2021, she competed in her event at the European Weightlifting Championships held in Moscow, Russia.
Fischer represented Austria at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. She finished in 10th place in the women's +87 kg event. At the 2021 European Junior & U23 Weightlifting Championships in Rovaniemi, Finland, she won the silver medal in her event.
Fischer won the bronze medal in her event at the 2022 European Weightlifting Championships held in Tirana, Albania. She won the gold medal in her event at the 2022 European Junior & U23 Weightlifting Championships held in Durrës, Albania.
In 2023, she competed in the women's +87kg event at the European Weightlifting Championships held in Yerevan, Armenia. She won the bronze medal in the Clean & Jerk. She also competed at the 2024 European Weightlifting Championships held in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Doping Controversy
According to multiple sources, Sarah Fischer was introduced to ephedrine and amphetamines when she was only 17, allegedly under pressure from her father and coach, Ewald Fischer, during an intensive training camp in Romania. Critics within the Austrian Weightlifting Federation condemned this approach as unethical, highlighting the risks associated with relying on performance-enhancing stimulants at such a young age. Ewald Fischer’s coaching tactics were further scrutinized for prioritizing rapid results over athlete well-being.Concerns about the family’s training environment deepened in 2024, when Fischer’s brother, David, tested positive for trenbolone, an anabolic steroid explicitly banned under World Anti-Doping Agency regulations. This incident exacerbated tensions with the Austrian federation, ultimately contributing to a public fallout and David’s decision to compete internationally for Bulgaria. Despite Sarah Fischer’s achievements in the sport, her early involvement with stimulants and the broader doping allegations within her family continue to raise serious doubts about the legitimacy of her accomplishments and cast a prolonged shadow over her career.